St. Paul Yacht Club

Heavy rainfall at the end of May, and beginning of June, is causing problems on lakes and rivers around Minnesota and Wisconsin. Some lakes have no wake zones, creeks and rivers are showing minor flooding and the swollen Mississippi River is sending a lot of debris down river. On the banks of the Mississippi, the St. Paul Yacht Club kicks off the boating season with an annual orientation.

A log jam at Raspberry Island near downtown St. Paul is finally being cleared. There had been a dispute between the city of St. Paul and the St. Paul Yacht Club as to who was responsible for cleaning up the debris. With the weight of the log jam pushing against the bridge, concerns arose over the bridge’s integrity. That’s when the city decided to step in and foot the bill, which is an estimated $25,000.

Cleanup on the quickly growing and massive river log jam on Raspberry Island in St. Paul will tentatively begin on Friday, according to the city of St. Paul. Initially, there were issues over who was responsible for removing the pileup as the St. Paul Yacht Club said it couldn’t afford to do so.

A sizable log jam on Raspberry Island along the Mississippi River has the St. Paul Yacht club concerned as pileup eats away at available slips for boaters. According to Roger Anderson of the club, 28 slips can’t be used on the downriver side of the bridge as the spans are covered by the debris. The St. Paul Rowing club also can’t use one of their docks, Anderson said.